Manhattan has made a major splash in the transfer market as they landed a commitment from former five-star recruiter and New York City native Jermaine Lawrence.

Lawrence was the No. 26 recruit in the Class of 2013, according to Rivals.com, but he decided to return home after one disappointing season in Cincinnati. He missed time with a toe injury and ended up averaging just 2.8 points and 2.9 boards despite playing 15.o minutes.

It’s been an interesting spring for Manhattan. They nearly lost their head coach, first to South Florida and then to a discrepancy on his resume, but Steve Masiello is back on campus and he’s doing what we’ve come to expect him to do: bring in local talent. Lawrence picked the Jaspers, who are coming off of a trip to the NCAA tournament where they nearly knocked off Louisville, over Hofstra and Iona.

Unless Lawrence can get a waiver to play immediately, he will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2015-2016, but regardless of when he is cleared, he should be a star for Manhattan. Remember, this is a kid who, a little more than a year ago, was being recruited by the likes of Kansas, Syracuse and UCLA.